This invention relates to animal confinement generally, and more particularly to an apparatus for confining cows to stalls during milking.
Large-scale modern dairies are increasingly automated. A common problem is that of loading cows into stalls for milking, and in making the cow comfortable while it is in the stall. To best utilize automatic milking equipment, it is desired that the udders of the cows be in approximately the same position, from stall to stall. However, since cows vary substantially in size, if stalls of fixed length are used, and the heads of the cows tend toward the same position in the stall, then the udders of the shorter cows will be well ahead of those of larger cows. Additionally, the smaller animals will have substantial clearance at either end, so that they may, undesirably, move fore and aft in the stall.